Leslie Odom, Jr.
| Leslie Odom Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Odom, Jr., in costume as Aaron Burr in Hamilton | |
| Born |
Leslie Odom Jr. August 6, 1981 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon School of Drama |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
Leslie Odom, Jr. (born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway and in television and film, as well as in other theatrical productions. He is best known for the roles of Aaron Burr in the 2015 musical Hamilton and Sam Strickland in the 2013 musical television series Smash.
Early life
Odom was born in New York and grew up in Philadelphia. He attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After he graduated, he moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2003.
Career
Odom sang as a teenager, and studied musical theatre in college. At the age of 17 he made his Broadway debut starring as 'Paul', in Rent. He appeared in the Broadway cast of Leap of Faith[1] in 2012. He also made his television debut in The Big House in 2004.
Odom also made a guest appearance in Bombshell In Concert,[2] the one night only Bombshell concert to benefit the Actors Fund of America.
Odom first worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda in the Encores! Off-Center production of Tick, Tick... Boom! playing Michael.
Odom was nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical"[1] as Aaron Burr in the Off-Broadway production of Hamilton at The Public Theater. He continued in the same role at the Richard Rodgers Theatre after the show transferred to Broadway later that year.
Broadway credits
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 - 2008 | Rent | Paul, a cop, others | Nederlander Theatre April 29, 1996 - September 7, 2008 |
| 2012 | Leap of Faith | Isaiah Sturdevant | St. James Theatre April 26, 2012 - May 13, 2012 |
| 2015 | Hamilton | Aaron Burr | Richard Rodgers Theatre August 6, 2015 – present |
Filmography
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | |
| 2007 | Scarecrow Joe | Joe | Short Film | |
| 2012 | Red Tails | Declan 'Winky' Hall | Feature Film | |
| 2015 | Luna Goes Cruising | Oscar | Short | |
| Television | ||||
| 2003–2006 | CSI: Miami | Joseph Kayle | Re-occurring Role | |
| 2004 | The Big House | Lamont | Episodes: "A Friend In Need", "Almost Touched By An Angel" | |
| 2006 | Threshold | Sergeant Adams | Episode: "The Crossing" | |
| 2006 | Gilmore Girls | Quentin Walsh | Episode: "Bridesmaids Revisited" | |
| 2006 | Vanished | Agent Malik Christo | Re-occurring Role | |
| 2006 | Close To Home | Jordan Carter | Episode: "Prodigal Son" | |
| 2006–2007 | Big Day | Freddy | Re-occurring Role | |
| 2007 | The Bill Engvall Show | Mr. Pratt | Episodes: "Good People", "Feel Free To Say No" | |
| 2007 | Supreme Courtships | Marcus | TV Movie | |
| 2008 | Grey's Anatomy | P.J. Wallings | Episode: "There's No "I" In Team" | |
| 2011 | NCIS: Los Angeles | FBI Agent Duane Lausten | Episode: "Archangel" | |
| 2011 | Zeke and Luther | Mr. Arliss Bunnyson | Episode: "Zeke, Luther, and Kojo Strike Gold" | |
| 2011 | Bandwagon (Australian TV series) | Urban Glee performer | Episode: "You Can Do Anything" | |
| 2011 | Supernatural (U.S. TV series) | Guy | Episode: "Season Seven, Time For A Wedding" | |
| 2011 | Poe | Julian 'Jupiter' Noble | TV Movie | |
| 2012 | House of Lies | James | Episodes: "Ouroboros", "Veritas" | |
| 2013 | Smash | Sam Strickland | Lead role | |
| 2013 | Person of Interest | Peter Collier[3] | Re-occurring Role | |
| 2013–2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Reverend Curtis Scott | Re-occurring Role | |
| 2015 | Gotham | Ian Hargrove | Episode: "Harvey Dent" | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Hamilton | Nominated |
Music
His self-titled debut album was part-funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised $40,971 (the funding goal was $30,000).[4] The album was released in 2014 by Borderlight Entertainment, Inc.
References
- 1 2 The Broadway League. "Leslie Odom, Jr. - IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". ibdb.com.
- ↑ "A concert presentation of BOMBSHELL". actorsfund.org.
- ↑ "Peter Collier (Character)". IMDb.
- ↑ "Leslie Odom Jr. Debut Album Project".